


obsidian and snow, tomorrow's sunrise

by h_mellohi



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Destruction, Dream Team SMP Spoilers, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Injuries, Nightmares, Possible Spoilers, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), President Toby Smith | Tubbo, Protective TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Reunions, Today on another episode of "can i predict canon? probably not but we'll try anyways", Trauma, Villain Tommyinnit (Video Blogging RPF), kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28307319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h_mellohi/pseuds/h_mellohi
Summary: Tubbo prepares for another assault against his country. He wasn't prepared to see a face he had held a funeral for.He also isn't prepared for the choices that Tommy delivers him.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Tubbo & TommyInnit (Dream SMP)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 262





	obsidian and snow, tomorrow's sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> please let this be close to what'll happen in canon please let this be close please
> 
> in all seriousness, i haven't stopped thinking about Tommy deciding to side with Techno being anti-government, as long as his friend stays safe and out of harms way. so here we are!

There had been a message, passed through channels and whispers and a note that arrived on President Tubbo’s desk. 

Technoblade was coming again, and he had backup.

That wasn’t surprising to the president. He had known from the moment Technoblade had somehow survived that execution that he would be back, and now, he was coming. The backup, too, wasn’t surprising. Despite the ankle monitor keeping Phil on house arrest, Tubbo had gone to check on him the other day and found the house empty, the iron monitor resting on an armor stand.

So Tubbo had gathered allies, and they now stood in the town center of L’manberg, netherite armor glinting in the daylight. Purpled, Sapnap, Karl, and more stood a little ways behind the president, weapons at their sides. Quackity stood next to him, sword already out.

“Maybe we can talk,” Tubbo said nervously. “I  _ really _ don’t want to fight Technoblade when we have no leverage against him, and who knows what he’s got up his sleeve.” 

“Since when has Technoblade ever wanted to talk?” Quackity spat. “Isn’t his whole thing like, speaking in violence and blood for his blood god? We’re making our last stand right here, right now.”

Tubbo sighed, exhaustion washing over him. He loved this country, he was proud of how it was rebuilt, but he was so tired. Tommy’s exile and following death still weighed heavily on his shoulders, every moment was a constant reminder of his failures and regrets. And now the consequences of his other actions were coming back to destroy him. 

The compass in his pocket spun and spun, and Tubbo had long since come to the conclusion that there was nothing that could fix the compass.

Karl stood at his other side, looking incredibly nervous. “Should we go to meet them?” he asked. “Somewhere outside of L’manburg?”

“They’re not going to stop until they’re here, even if we meet them somewhere else. We have to stand our ground here,” Quackity said firmly.

“Yeah, right, okay,” Karl said, shifting his weight anxiously. 

There was the sound of several tridents, and Tubbo tensed, turning toward the hill in between L’manburg and the docks. Quackity’s grip tightened on his sword, and Karl hurriedly strapped on some armor, holding a potion in his hand. 

Then, three shadowed figures were briefly visible in the air before landing with a small splash on top of that hill. The pig was the easiest to identify, his massive form in the center of the small group. Shimmering netherite armor adorned him, and a massive cape rustled in the wind. He held a large sword in one hand, and Tubbo felt so very small.

On his right, there was an older face that Tubbo had once considered kind, but now there was only unforgiving severity in Phil’s eyes as he looked down upon them, holding a blue and white shield at the side of his body.

And then on Techno’s left there was someone Tubbo didn’t entirely recognize. He was tall, blond hair poking out from under the helmet that obscured much of his face, and for a second Tubbo thought it was Dream, finally returning after his recent disappearance. Was this his worst nightmare, coming true? Two of the most powerful people on this server, teaming up against him and his faltering country.

It was his worst nightmare, but it wasn’t Dream. 

The president squinted as the lanky individual reached up and pulled their helmet off of his head, revealing a young, scarred face, a mop of blond hair, and grim blue eyes.

“Wh- Surely not,” Tubbo whispered. His legs wobbled, and he lurched forward to lean heavily on the wooden barriers around the city center. His head pounded and for a moment he thought he might throw up into the coral filled waters below. 

“Tubbo?” Karl asked, stepping forward to put a hand on his shoulder. Tubbo sucked in a deep breath, and then another, forcing his heartrate to stop beating out of his chest. He stood suddenly, taking enough steps back to look up at the three people above them again, eyes automatically landing on Tommy and staying there.

A thousand questions rushed through his mind, and he knew he was stammering, but he couldn’t stop himself. Techno was monologuing and Quackity was yelling back, but Tubbo could only think about the funeral, of Dream sharing stories of Tommy’s supposed last weeks. He thought about the hours he had sobbed, staring at the spinning compass and begging for it to point to something again. And now here in front of him Tommy stood, side by side with one of his greatest enemies, and Tubbo’s mind was whirling like the broken compass as he tried and he failed to comprehend the sight before him.

“Techno,” Tommy stepped toward the pigman, no longer looking at Tubbo. “Let’s give ‘em a chance, ey? I’ll talk- I’ll talk to Tubbo, and we’ll see if we can come to a compromise without you having to use all that, alright?”

Tubbo took another shuddering breath, wondering if he would ever breath normally again, if his heart would stop aching so fiercely. One hand was in his pocket and it was squeezing the spinning compass so hard that Tubbo thought the glass would crack under his fingers. 

“Well?” Quackity said, nudging Tubbo with his elbow. Tubbo looked at him, and saw how Quackity was working to hide his similar shock underneath a mask of fury. “Are you going to go talk to him, Mr. President?”

Tubbo took a moment to think, glanced to Tommy again, and nodded firmly. “Across the river,” he called up to them, forcing his voice to stay even. He was the president, he had to keep the peace, no matter the cost. “No armor, no weapons in our hands. A ceasefire, if you will.”

Techno scoffed, but both Tommy and Phil nodded, and so Tommy crossed behind Techno and Phil toward the river, taking his armor off as he did so. Tubbo did so as well, though he waited until he was fully across the river to put his armor back in his inventory. 

The two of them walked a little further ways into a sparse forest, and now that Tubbo was looking a little closer at Tommy, he noticed a lot. His blond hair had grown, brushing the back of his neck, and a small braid had been woven along the side of his head. He was wearing a light blue tunic and pants, a stark change from his red shirt and tan pants. There was also a short white cape hanging by one shoulder on his back, and around his neck there was a thin piece of rope, leading to a glowing compass that was currently spinning slowly, a replica of the one in Tubbo’s own pocket.. 

“Hey, big man.” Tommy sounded only a little nervous, fingers tapping aggressively against his leg. “Long, ah, long time no see.” He smiled, just slightly, and tugged at the collar of his new shirt. 

Tubbo thought he might choke, hearing a nickname he hadn’t heard in months, a nickname he had resigned himself to never hearing again. “Tommy,” he started, a hundred exclamations, questions, furious words on his lips, all of them shutting down before they could form into sound.

“Listen, alright? I’ve got a plan.” Plunging forward like there hadn’t been any time lost, Tommy began to talk quickly and seriously. “The plan is- well, listen, we’ve just, we’ve got to stop Techno from unleashing all those withers, he wants all that violence but I don’t, not really, all I want is my discs, and listen, Tubbo, I almost have them all.”

“Tommy, Tommy, wait, you’re-” Tubbo’s voice cracked slightly, mind racing as he tried to focus on one thing enough to speak. “Well, whose do you need- wait, you- you’re  _ alive _ , where have you been, man, we- I thought- we had a funeral for you, I thought that you- oh my god.”

“Huh? Why would you think I was dead?” Uncertainty flicked across Tommy’s face.

“I went- after the butcher army went after Techno, I went to find you, in the, in, Logstedshire. I had the compass, but it was all, it was all blown up, you see, and there was this, there was this tall tower, and I thought-- I mean, I thought-- we gave you a funeral, man! And now you’re-- you’re working with  _ Technoblade _ ?” Tubbo pulled his hands into fists, finding anger amidst his other confusing emotions. 

Tommy looked to the side, frowning a little. “Yeah, that’s ah, funny story, actually, you weren’t far off, I was- well, it doesn’t matter ‘cause I didn’t and, and, yeah, I’m still alive, bitch!” There was no heat behind Tommy’s jubilant curse, but the impact of it still stung in familiarity.

“Tommy!” Tubbo snapped. “What the hell- how could you work with Technoblade, he’s the enemy here!”

Tommy’s eyes flicked to the side, then back to Tubbo. “He’s L’manburg’s enemy, Tubbo. And I’m not- you made it very clear that I’m not part of L’manburg.”

“But we still- I mourned for you!” Tubbo shouted, voice breaking. “I cried over you, while all this time you’ve been helping one of the worst people in this place.”

“Well, it’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose.” Tommy shrugged. “He’s offered me help, and listen, I’m telling you, I figured out what the problem was, and I’ve got a fucking solution, man!”

Tubbo stared at his friend, exhaling slowly in an attempt to control the way his heart was thudding against his ribcage. “A matter of perspective,” he said, a bitter taste coating his tongue.

“Tubbo, man, listen, it is! Listen, think about it, what’s the one thing that’s driven us apart, that’s caused all this conflict between us?” Tommy paced back and forth, stepping up on stones and hopping back down.

“Uh…” Tubbo frowned, thinking it over. “Well, the griefing of George’s house, and Dream putting up those obsidian walls, and…”

“No, no! Well, yeah, but think bigger. Bigger than just those things.” When Tubbo shook his head helplessly, Tommy continued to barrel forward, coming to a stop in front of him. “It was you becoming president, Tubbo. It’s when Wilbur made you president, and when you had to take over rebuilding L’manburg instead of helping me get the discs back.”

“Wh- wh- Tommy, what? What are you… What’re you saying, about L’manburg?” Tubbo’s brows creased, more confused than ever. “L’manburg, and the discs, they’re, they’re separate, that’s why you were exiled. So L’manburg wouldn’t be associated with your quest for your discs.”

“Yeah, but it was meant to be us against Dream. Dream knew that, that’s why he had you drive me away! It has to be us against Dream, because even though we have both the discs now, he’s still going to want to try and take them again, and this time, we can stand together!”

“I can’t- what? Tommy-” Tubbo took a breath, organizing his thoughts. “No. Focus on L’manburg. You said you had a plan, right? What is it, and  _ please _ , tell me it’s a decent one.”

Tommy nodded. “Yeah, I do. Well- Alright, listen, Tubbo, you’ve got to give up the presidency. It’s the only way to save L’manburg — and this whole place, really — from being completely destroyed.”

Tubbo froze, wide eyed. “What? I- no!”

“Wh- What d’you mean, no? Tubbo, either you give up being president and L’manburg isn’t destroyed, or you hold onto it and so much more gets destroyed, so many more people will lose their stuff, their lives— how is this not an easy choice?”

“We- I built this country back up, Tommy. I have to fight for it, I’m going to fight for it.”

Tommy’s jaw tightened, and he shook his head. “I didn’t come all this way to find you again only for you to throw your life away over a stupid country.”

“A- a- a stupid country?” Tubbo stammered. “You founded this country, how could you call it stupid?” 

Tommy threw his hands in the air, and Tubbo stepped back. “This stupid fucking country turned its back on me when I was exiled from it. This country has been driving us apart for months now, and I’m not gonna let that happen anymore. Tubbo, please. Just give up, disband the government. It’ll be so much easier.”

Tubbo’s heart was beating so fast that it was beginning to hurt. “I’m not going to go the easy way just to make you happy, Tommy. Besides, either way, I lose. I either lose L’manburg by force, or by cowardice. And I’m not going to go down a coward.”

“Fine,” Tommy spat. “But I’m not letting L’manburg destroy you, too.”

“What?” Tubbo’s eyes shot wide as he saw what Tommy was now holding in his hand. “Tommy, no-” He turned to dash back toward the river, but Tommy grabbed his arm, placing blocks of obsidian in front of him and around him, creating a sturdy box with one hole for Tubbo to look out of, but too small to escape from. The walls were thick and suffocating, and there was a tightening in his chest reminiscent of every nightmare that has plagued him for the past while. “Tommy, stop!” He yelled, pressing against the stone.

“No.” Tommy’s voice was low and deadly like Tubbo had rarely heard it. “I’m not letting the government drive us apart any longer, and if you won’t give in and just disband it, then I’m going to let Techno do what he plans.”

“He’ll destroy everything!” Tubbo wedged his fingers at the sides of the blocks, but it was all too heavy for him to lift and too small to squeeze through. “Everything- we worked so hard for this, Tommy, what the hell, don’t do this.”

Tommy pulled a crossbow out, already loaded with a sparkling firework. Tubbo froze, panic entirely overwhelming him as he pressed his back to the box. Before he could begin to plead to stop another explosive from burning his final life away, Tommy shot the firework into the air, exploding in a dizzying display of red sparks that made Tubbo flinch.

There was distant shouting from Quackity and Karl and the others who had joined them, all overpowered by a booming laugh from Techno. Tommy continued speaking as he put the crossbow away, talking animatedly. “This is our chance to start over, now that I’ve got all the discs we can be done with all of this government shit and the wars and everything! It’ll all be over.”

The horrific roars of the withers rose in the air, and the sky grew clouded, and Tubbo stared out of his small box, this prison his friend had trapped him in, as the monsters descended upon his L’manburg.

“No, let me out!” he yelled, slamming his fist on the side of the obsidian, once again to no avail. “Let me help them, Tommy, they’re our friends!”

Tommy’s face remained impassive as more and more citizens of L’manburg and the surrounding areas were slaughtered mercilessly by the withers and by Techno himself. “We’re friends, Tubbo. From the beginning,” his words were an echo of Tubbo’s own, from a time much simpler. “It’s been you and me.”

The familiar smell of fireworks filled the air, and tears started to fall from Tubbo’s eyes. “Fuck you, man,” he whispered hoarsely, holding his compass tightly in his hand. “I wish you had stayed dead.” 

Tommy’s eyes flitted to him, wide with shock. “What?”

Through the small gap in the box, Tubbo slammed the compass down as hard as he could, shattering it on the stone below. He thought he regretted it the instant he did so, but his head was overwhelmed with emotion that he hardly felt he could tell up from down.

“Tubbo…” Tommy’s voice, full of shock and hurt, trailed off as Phil pearled across the river. Phil’s sword was spattered with blood, and there was a mix of cold distaste and pity in his eyes as he glanced at Tubbo and the obsidian that contained him.

“We’ve got to go,” he said to Tommy. “The withers will take everything out now. Techno’s dealing with the last of it. Come on.”

Fresh air tickled Tubbo’s neck as the obsidian was broken away, and he forced down the scream that clawed at his throat as he stared across the river at L’manburg. The entire place had caught fire, the buildings were gradually being eaten away by the explosive attacks from the withers. The surrounding hills were covered in craters, and the docks had begun to catch alight as well. Tubbo didn’t hear anyone fighting within the borders of what was once L’manburg, but he couldn’t tell whether it was because they had fled or if they were dead. 

“Tubbo.” A pearl was pressed into Tubbo’s shaking hand, and he tore his gaze away from his country to look at Tommy. “We’ve got to go. That way, towards the portal.”

Tubbo hesitated, turning the pearl over in his hand, feeling ill. “What the hell have you done, Tommy?”

Tommy’s silence was broken by the hoarse shriek of yet another Wither, one who was flying across the river towards them. “Alright, we’ve got to go, throw your fucking pearl, Tubbo!”

A fresh explosion rocked the earth around them, and Tubbo was thrown backwards, slamming firmly into the trunk of a tree. Tubbo crumpled to the ground with a groan, his ears ringing. His wrist burned as he tried to place it on the ground to push himself back up, and Tubbo crumpled.

Then he was pulled to his feet, familiar hands supporting him. Tubbo tipped his head up, barely catching sight of blond hair and a deadly serious face before he registered that Tommy was yelling at him, pressing the pearl to his hand even more urgently. 

“There, Tubbo, go!”

Gulping, Tubbo threw the pearl in the direction of the portal. When he opened his eyes again, Phil was waiting for him, and Tommy appeared a second after. The three of them ran down the path and through the community house, up the steps and through the portal before Tubbo could think about what he was doing. It wasn’t until the heat of the Nether washed over him, sending sweat beading on his forehead, that Tubbo forced himself to come to a stop, leaning forward with his hands on his knees, eyes bulging out of his head as he struggled to keep himself upright. 

“Hey, hey, what’s- you alright, man?” Tommy paused next to him, placing a concerned hand on his shoulder. 

“No!” Tubbo shouted, jerking away from Tommy’s hand. “No, I’m not alright, I- Tommy, you just blew up L’manburg, on purpose! What is wrong with you?”

“Well I tried to give you a choice!” Tommy yelled back. “I tried, but we didn’t have a lot of time, and you-”

“There could have been another way, there- there had to have been.”

“No, the only other way was the one where you died along with everyone else, and that is just not something that’s going to happen.”

“It’s my country! You have no right to just- to just lead Technoblade here and- and let him do all that, Tommy!” 

“What the fuck else was I supposed to do, huh? Mans was on the path for blood whether I was with him or not, and you’re more important than L’manburg, Tubbo. L’manburg is just- it just was, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Tubbo felt defeat weighing down on his shoulders, though it felt lighter than before. “I just don’t understand,” he said. “How could it not matter to you anymore? You gave up everything for L’manburg, so many times. What changed?”

Tommy’s jaw clenched, and his voice was bitter as he spoke. “I realized that no matter how many times I gave up everything for L’manburg, it was never going to give me anything back.”

“Well yeah, now it sure won’t.” Sarcasm was heavy on Tubbo’s tongue. “You destroyed any chance of that when you helped Technoblade blow it all up!”

“I stopped believing that L’manburg would ever help me when I was kicked out of the goddamn country, and none of you-!” Tommy’s voice crescendoed, then suddenly cut off, verbally holding himself back. He exhaled heavily, clenching his fists. Tubbo just looked at him, and s

A silence fell between them, rife with anger and unfinished conversations. Phil sighed, and stepped between them. “Come on, guys. Let’s get out of here now.”

The walk down the cobblestone and obsidian path was silent, the tension between them as thick as the sweltering heat of the Nether. By the time they reached what Tubbo assumed was the portal out of there, his whole being ached with exhaustion, emotionally, mentally, and physically. The shock of cold as the three of them stepped out into the snow was just another buffet to Tubbo’s state, and he stumbled as the snow filled around his shins. 

“Hey, Tubbo-” Tommy looked like he wanted to say more, but he just sighed again. “It’s this way, across here.”

“I know,” Tubbo blurted, recognizing the icy ocean to his right and the forest a little ways up ahead. “I’ve been here once before.”

“Huh?” Tommy asked. “Wh- you were here before, and didn’t say hi?”

“It was before you got here, Tommy,” Phil said, and Tubbo could feel Phil glaring at him, boring holes in the back of his head. “Or, rather, before Techno or anybody knew you were here.”

“Y-yeah, mhm. Last time I was here was- was with the Butcher Army. When we came to execute Technoblade.”

“Oh.” Tommy didn’t seem to know how to respond to that for a moment. “Well, I- I reckon that’s not gonna happen again, right?” 

“Better not,” Phil muttered, and Tubbo exhaled, watching his breath leave his lips, visible in the frozen sky. 

A house Tubbo had visited once before grew closer and closer, smoke rising from the chimney. He noted the empty stable with a slight, shameful frown, though his attention was almost immediately torn away by the tall cobblestone tower that stretched into the sky. “That definitely wasn’t here the first time I was here, heh.” 

“Yeah, someone was supposed to be in incognito and hiding, but he’s kind of shit at that,” Phil responded.

“I mean, I had to make my towers, didn’t I?” Tommy said, grinning ferociously. “Mans gots to make his towers!”

Tubbo laughed, half-delirious from exhausted terror. “Surely not. That is like your thing, how did you get away with making that while hiding?”

Phil clicked his tongue. “Not well, according to Techno.”

Nervousness flitted across Tommy’s face before a smile reappeared. “Well, he’s gone M-I-A, so what does it matter?”

As they approached the house, all three of them knew that it mattered quite a lot, but not a single one of them said it aloud.

“Tubbo, you look dead on your feet, man,” Tommy said instead of anything else. “Should probably take a nap or some shit before Techno gets back.” He bumped Tubbo’s shoulder, motioning toward the second house that looked remarkably less well-made than the first cabin.

“Wh- What’s gonna happen when Technoblade gets back?” Tubbo asked, fear shaking his voice. The familiarity he had found in talking with these two washed away like sand on a shell, and the cold set back in.

“Nothing, Tommy’s just tryin’ to mess with you,” Phil said as Tubbo entered into the simple house. “Probably. I mean, it’s Techno.”

“Jesus Christ.” Tubbo rubbed a hand down his cheek, exhaustion causing his head to spin and pulse in dizzy waves. Every piece of terror and fury he had found today still thrummed in his heart at an anxious pace, leaving him hyper aware of every movement Tommy and Phil made as Tubbo numbly sat down on the bed, fingers curling in the mattress for the sense of feeling anything to make sense of. “I still don’t… I don’t understand why I’m here, if I’m honest.”

“You’re here because Tommy wants you here.” Looking around, Tubbo no longer saw Tommy. It was just Phil, standing in the doorway. Tubbo didn’t know what that meant. “Rest, Tubbo.” Then he was gone.

Tubbo didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to leave, to see L’manburg, to confirm that this was somehow some fucked up nightmare, that Techno hadn’t unleashed a storm of withers onto L’manburg, that Tubbo still had his country safe, that Tommy hadn’t reappeared from the dead…

No, Tubbo didn’t want that to be part of the nightmare. Seeing Tommy again,  _ alive _ , had been…well, it had been confusing. Tubbo didn’t really know what to think, but his head was still pounding, and the bed he sat in was soft and inviting, and after some time Tubbo’s head touched the pillow and his eyes slid closed.

Tubbo’s sleep was filled with burning fireworks, the taste of fire in his mouth, and the sound of his screams, muffled by the obsidian that surrounded him. Opening his eyes wide, Tubbo gasped in a shuddering breath, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

A heavy fur blanket was draped over him, shielding the rest of his body from the cold that pricked at his nose and cheeks. Tubbo sat up slowly, barely recognizing the wooden house he was currently within. A large picture caught his eye, some distorted portrait of Tommy and Wilbur, and Tubbo couldn’t hold back a small smile. On the side table, Tubbo saw a green sweatshirt, and after a moment of indecision, pulled it over his head, pushing his hands in the pockets.

Outside, Tubbo could hear footsteps crunching in the snow, and indistinguishable voices talking in passing. The brown haired boy stood from the bed, shivering slightly, but he’d take that over the piercing headache of yesterday. Stepping outside, he looked up and saw Phil, who was walking down the front steps of the other house, which Tubbo assumed was Technoblade’s. He stayed very still, suddenly unsure how to talk to the other man.

But Phil only smiled. “Hey mate, want to go check out the guardian farm tomorrow? I have a few designs in mind for the slime farms we could add in there.” Tubbo walked a little ways forward, and Phil reached the bottom of the steps.

Tubbo looked over at the older man warily, but there was no hint of the cruel severity that had been on Phil’s face just the day before. “Uh-- are we- I mean, can we?”

“Yeah?” Phil’s voice held amused confusion in it. “Of course, Tubbo. Isn’t it your guardian farm, yours and Sam’s?”

“Mm, yeah, it is.” Tubbo hummed, looking out at the clear winter sky, and the sun beginning to sink. Then, hesitantly, he piped up again. “Aren’t you still pissed off at me, though?”

Phil shrugged. “As long as you don’t bring around anymore ankle monitors or ransack my shit, I think we can call it square.”

“Oh.” Tubbo’s cheeks flushed with shame. “Yeah, no, I won’t, I’m not going to do that again.”

“Good. We’re alright then.”

Desperate to change the subject to anything else, Tubbo cleared his throat. “So, uh, what kind of designs did you have in mind?”

Phil smiled kindly. “I’ll tell you another time. I think someone else is trying to get your attention.” With that 

“Tubbo!” 

Looking over at the oak bench felt like getting smashed with another wave of grief all over again. It took a few moments of shell shocked staring before Tubbo weakly raised a hand to wave at Tommy, “Hey, Tommy,” Tubbo eventually responded, far more warily. Tommy was no longer wearing the blue tunic and cloak he had been wearing yesterday. Instead, he was back to something recognizable, a red and white sweatshirt, tan pants, and a green bandanna around his neck.

“Hey, can we listen to the disc? The one you’ve got?”

“Uh, yeah, sure, man.” Tubbo opened the enderchest that Tommy placed down, pulling out the purple ringed disc that had been sitting at the bottom, where it had been untouched for weeks. He handed it over, a shiver passing through him as he let go of the disc that had held such significance for so long, the central point in so many conflicts that were finally over for good. 

A sense of empty notalgia washing over him, Tubbo brushed some snow off the seat and sat down as Tommy pulled a green disc out of his ender chest. Melancholy strings that Tubbo hadn’t heard in a long time began to float from the jukebox as Tommy plopped down on the bench, stretching back with his hands behind his head and letting out a content sigh.

The sky began to turn shades of orange and red, and Tubbo stared straight ahead, leaning forward with his hands folded in his lap. “How are you just… okay with this?” he asked eventually, barely daring to whisper the words.

Tommy shifted to face him, a slight frown on his lips. “What d’you mean?”

“I mean, how can you just be okay with what you did to L’manburg? I know, I know I’m repeating myself, but do you not care? How can you not care, Tommy, I just don’t understand!” Tubbo slammed a fist down on the arm of the bench, furious words bubbling up through his lips. “We built that country, with- with Wilbur, and Fundy, and we fought together, for that independence, and you gave up your life, and then your discs so we could have that independence, and yeah, maybe L’manburg failed you, and I am so sorry about that, but how do you just not care?” Tears of fury and grief spilled from Tubbo’s eyes, splashing miniscule holes in the snow below. “I just don’t understand.”

Tommy was still and silent for a minute, and Tubbo began wondering if he’d ever get an answer, or if Tommy would just stay silent until the music disc faded out. But then Tommy opened his mouth, and with a voice choked with tears, whispered, “I miss L’manburg  _ so _ much, Tubbo.” He let out a short laugh, sniffing. “I miss the camarvan, I miss our- those sick outfits we had for the revolution, remember those?” Without waiting for a response, he continued to ramble. “I miss- I miss making drugs and messing around, I miss Wilbur, before he went fucking crazy.” Tommy cleared his throat. “Of course I miss L’manburg, Tubbo, but that place had stopped being the L’manburg I knew a while ago.”

Tubbo twisted his hands together. “Do you reckon it was my fault?” He asked quietly. “I tried to be a good president, but I don’t think I did very well.”

“Well…” Tommy looked up to the starry sky, eyebrows furrowed in thought. “I think you could be a good leader, but I don’t think you should’ve been president when you did. You did the best you could, you know, rebuilding an entire nation while a violent anarchist was out to destroy it. And then you let Dream convince you to execute me, which, yeah, maybe it was the best thing for the country, but L’manburg is, it’s like a people, and it… it was really shit of you to exile me.”

“Man, I felt so guilty over that,” Tubbo groaned. “I missed you so much big man. And I really- I really thought you’d be out fighting against Dream to get your discs back, not… building tall, ominous towers and disappearing and making us think you were dead.” 

“Oh, it’s all so much, that’s what I mean!” Tommy said. “It’s been so much, always, for so long, and now that I have my discs back, everything is finished. We don’t have to go against Dream again, or fight for independence, we can just do stupid shit again.”

Tubbo said nothing. His shoulders still ached with the fate of L’manburg, and as he tried to reach for the memories of a time of carefree pranks and laughter, it fuzzed in a sepia tone, the edges of it worn away. “I dunno, man. Will it ever be the same as before?”

“Probably not, honestly.” Tubbo caught a bright grin out of the corner of his eye, a wide smile he hadn’t remembered seeing for a while now. “It’ll be even better.”

“Mm.” Tubbo wasn’t sure if he believed Tommy, not yet. But he stayed, and eventually the smile on his face was wider, and as the moon rose and fell, the conversations between them grew livelier, until the missing pieces of themself that had been separated by bureaucracy and thousands of blocks were found again. Though the two of them still grieved for a home that had been taken from them for the final time, they found solace in each other, and made plans for each coming sunrise.

**Author's Note:**

> helloooo hope you enjoyed! im a sucker for angsty reunions and hopeful endings. find me on twitter at @sbimellohi , thanks for reading!


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